The victim was walking along Cobwell Road at 9.30pm on 23rd May when a van pulled alongside, said Christopher Lowe, prosecuting on Thursday 5th December.

“Two men jumped out of the back wearing hooded tops, one of them was the defendant,” said Mr Lowe.

Mr Frost was chased into a corner where Ellis hit him twice with the bat.

The court heard that there was a background to the attack and it appeared Mr Frost was a relative of the intended victim.

Ellis had gone on a spree of offending at the end of last year and the beginning of this year, said his barrister Graham Huston. It resulted in a sentence of eight months at a young offender institution for offences including theft, threatening to harm a witness or juror, battery and false representation.

Ellis had been taking the drug M-Cat and suffering from a psychotic disorder. He has now been off illicit drugs for four months and receiving medication while remanded in custody.

Judge Jonathan Teare told Ellis: “You had been taking drugs and completely lost it. Normally you could expect a sentence of some months. But if you can keep off drugs then you can probably keep away from trouble.”

Sentencing was adjourned for five months until 3rd May, with probation supervision and a tagged home curfew from 10pm to 6am.